St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-10
Eight Reasons Given the Holy
See for Not -Condemning
the Order.
The Vatiean's Bearing Toward
the Order Very Friendly
and Conciliatory.
President Powderly Thinks
Pope Leo XIII. Neither
Rash Nor IllibePal.
Strong Condemnation Of An
arehists and Nihilists by
Cardinal Gibbons.

The letter prepared by General Mas
ter Workman Powderly upon the atti-
tude of the Catholic church towards the
knights of Labor, and which has been
awaited with more than ordinary in
terest by the members of the order
throughout the country, was finally
completed last night and will be pre-
sented to the General Assembly at Min
neapolis this morning. 1t reads as
follows:
THE LETTER.
In the month of October of last year,
Cardinal Gibbons called the archbishOpS
of America together to discuss serious.
matters .appertaining to the church in
this country, the principal among, these
being the relationship OF the order OF
the Knights of Labor with secret socie-
ties ProteStants and Catholics became
deeply interested i'll the attitude which
these twelve powerful prelateS, who are
at.the head of the American hierarchy,
would take with reference to the labor
problem. 1t had been represented to
the ecclesiastical authorities that the
Knights were seeking to revOlutiOniZe
generally accepted fundamental princi-
piles by claiming for labor the rlgh to
dictate to capital, and in this
manner were seeking to bring into full
force popular sovereignty in opposition
to private rights: that they were follow
ing the example of the French socialists
and arrogatng TO themselves the right
of ordering strikes whenever it suited
their purposes, and by these strikes
cause the loss of life and the destruction
of private property, and that should the
ciples, it would inevitably lead its mem
berS and the working classes generally,
from INSTRUMENTATION to
ANARCHY AND SOCIALISM.
If the principles of the Knights of La
were ever to prevail among the people,
faith and religion would be forever de-
strOyed in our country. Thus spoke the
enemies of organized labor. Immedi-
ately after the close of the last session
of the general assembly i'll Richmond,
your generalmaSter workman received
courteous invitation from his emf
nence, the cardinal, to come to Balti-
more, as his presence there was urg
emily required for the purpose of
Offering testimony on matters
concerning the order and upon
which his eminence desired particular
Information. | selected Brothers John
W. Hayes and Tom 0'Rielly to accom-
pany me to Baltimore. Your committee
submitted to his eminence that. The
unifying force of the order of the
Knights of Labor consisted in the
breadth and purity of the principles in
cHlcated, and the cultivation of intellec-
tual, moral and social happinesS.' We
are like unto band of brothers engaged
in a holy cause which. far from absorb
ing would strengthen our love of coun-
try and would intensity,
ELEVATE AND ENABLE
our patriotism. In our order, composed
as it is of various European nationali-
ties, one of the most gratifying features
is the rapidity with which these become
aSsimilated and welded together, form
ing united whole, strong ndindiSsOlu-
bic. A tree is known by its fruits, men
by their deeds and systems by their re-
suits. Believing firmly in the righteous
ness of our cause, we ask your eminence
to examine the records of our order and
the records of our prominent members
who for yeals upheld our principles
1t is our hope, as it is our desire, to
purge the order of the violent element.
the element of radical men who want
to found a society of atheistic anarchy
During the interview, which was of
long duration, Cardinal Gibbons said in
substance: After what we have just
learned, the present condition of the
order is to us an unmiStakable indica-
ton that the control of your organiza-
tion still rests with the conservative
element, and is guarantee that there
will be no rash and dangerous depart
ureS from those features OF its policy
which cOmmdfd the
FORBEARANCE AND RESPECT,
if not the approval, of the entire coun-
try. With prudent leaders and wise
general policy your vast and rapidly in
creaSing army of wage-workerS is
destined to exert tremendous infiu-
ence in the social and political affairs
of the country. We now infer that the
objects of the Knights of Labor are
the views OF the Catholic church.
The Catholic prelates will de-
clare in favor of labor. The
Catholic church in America will take
the side of the weaker against the
stronger. We readily believe that to
rescue the tOiler from the grasp of the
selfish is work worthy of the noblest
and best of our race, and we recognize
that it is to the accomplishment of that
grand object that the order of the
Knights of Labor is bending its every
energy. The church is justly watchful
against all secret organizations. There
is no need of secrecy where the end and
the methods of organization are justi-
fable and secrecy raises presumption
that there.is something which will not
bear
THE LIGHT OF DAY.
The Catholic church is most visible to
all creation, and it instinctively guards
against secrecy and concealment. The
church in all its actions is the protector
of those who live by the labor of their
hands. The denial of the right of the
church to interfere with her children
when she fears that their course is
dangerous to morals or perilous to
the security of society cannot
be sustained in any way, either
Oh Catholic or Protestant teaching OF
practices. The testimonials from great
Protestant writers show conclusiveiy
that the best minds outside of the
church bear witness that she has ever
been the guardian and friend of all
men, and that for the masses in all